This program utilizes an adaptive and proactive approach in professional medical technology education, with varied teaching-learning strategies, modes of delivery and assessments.
Program Curriculum
The first two years of BSMT focuses mostly on General Education (GE) courses designed to hone learners’ core competencies such as critical and analytic thinking, oral and written communication skills and independent learning. Using a liberal approach to education, GE courses such as Scholarly Inquiry and Purposive Communication prepare learners for advanced professional courses and research work required later in the curriculum.
Meanwhile, basic professional courses such as Human Anatomy and Physiology with Pathophysiology, Cytogenetics, Biochemistry, Principles of Medical Technology Practice, and Community and Public Health, among others are also offered during these crucial two years which provide learners with foundational knowledge in the medical and scientific field.
Finishing all required coursework for the first two years and meeting the required QPA qualifies learners to take the battery examination, a form of assessment which gauges the knowledge, skills and abilities they have acquired from their key professional courses. Additionally, the battery examination helps ensure that learners are adequately equipped and prepared for advanced coursework, since they will not be allowed to proceed to third and fourth-year level courses without first passing these tests.
During the last year of the program, learners acquire field experience by rendering 1664 hours (24 units) under clinical internship with a partner CHED-accredited training laboratory.
Well-being and work-life balance is also a key feature of the BSMT curriculum. Throughout their stay in the university, learners are encouraged to plan their own Wellness and Recreation Program (WRP), a university-wide course which intends to develop their physiological and psycho-social fitness as well as encourage social responsibility and community involvement.
The BSMT program has been carefully crafted to empower our students into becoming independent, lifelong learners as future professionals and medical practitioners. As such, this program utilizes the following varied teaching-learning approaches focused on learners’ needs and capabilities:
- Student-Centered Learning
The BSMT program adheres with the University’s educational philosophy and learning paradigm which emphasizes active and dynamic learning to develop the higher-order thinking skills of our learners. This entails designing engaging activities and encouraging collaboration between teacher and student inside the classroom to facilitate effective higher learning.
The program utilizes a variety of lectures, discussions and demonstrations in developing theoretical and foundational knowledge in medical technology and its allied health and scientific fields.
- Interdisciplinary Approach
BSMT offers a glimpse of professional medical technology practice through the lens of various science and health-related disciplines. Coupled with the liberal GE courses which expose learners to the humanities and social sciences, the program hopes to produce well-rounded, adaptable and analytical medical professionals and practitioners.
The BSMT program recognizes the changing technological landscape which our current generation of learners must navigate. Geared towards ubiquitous and independent learning, some courses are delivered through a mix of online virtual classrooms, self-study modules and face-to-face sessions. The University utilizes Canvas, a world-class learning management system to facilitate this mode of delivery.
Aside from didactic and demonstrative approaches, the program utilizes case studies and research-based materials to ensure that learners are provided with updated knowledge and practices in the field. Moreover, the program encourages learners to develop an inclination towards research and scientific thought.
Assessment and Research Work
Throughout the course of the program, varied assessments and assessment-related tasks are deployed depending on the negotiation between the teachers and the learners. Teachers are encouraged to develop relevant formative assessments designed to help learners prepare for capstone summative assessments.
Assessments are a combination of traditional pen-and-paper tests, return demonstrations, practical examinations, research work and performance-based tasks. These include quizzes and summative tests, reports and presentations, case analyses, research-based writing, return demonstration and peer assessments. Apart from course-based assessments, research is also integrated into the curriculum such as the course Medical Technology Research Paper Writing and Presentation.
The required battery examination at the end of the second year is a standardized pen-and-paper test which assesses the learners’ acquired knowledge and technical know-how in their professional courses.
Internship
Learners cannot complete the program without internship, which comprises 24 units (1664 hours) of their coursework. Clinical Internship 1 and 2 are two six-month internship engagements for learners under a CHED-accredited training laboratory.
During internship, BSMT learners are expected to undertake rotational duties in different laboratory sections, such as clinical chemistry, hematology, urinalysis and microbiology, among others.